Rob Ford was spotted in the Muskoka region early Friday afternoon, fuelling speculation that he is a patient at a rehab centre in Ontario’s cottage country.

The Ford sightings in the towns of Bracebridge and Gravenhurst came exactly one year after the video showing Toronto’s mayor smoking crack cocaine was first reported by Gawker and the Star.

Muskoka is home to an addictions treatment centre, GreeneStone, as well the Ford family cottage. GreeneStone allows day and overnight passes into the community, depending on the progress of a patient’s recovery.

GreeneStone has not confirmed that Ford is a patient, but the Star has interviewed two people connected to patients who have said Ford is staying at the facility.

The first Ford appearance was made around 1:30 p.m. outside the Bank of Montreal branch in Bracebridge, where Ford spoke to passersby and said rehab was going well, according to the Bracebridge Examiner.

Ford happily took photos with residents gathered in the parking lot. The pictures show him smiling in a blue shirt and dark blazer. A Ford Escalade with a licence plate matching Ford’s could be seen in photos circulated on Twitter Friday.

The embattled mayor, who checked into rehab earlier this month to deal with substance abuse problems, then made his way to the dry cleaners in Gravenhurst to drop off a navy blue suit, said Erin Strength, a Fabricare employee.

“We just talked about his general dry cleaning needs,” she said. “He was jovial. We were really surprised to see him.”

While Ford’s rehab location has never been publicly revealed, a doctor who said he was treating him spoke to the CBC last week, confirming Ford is indeed in rehab.

Ford’s longtime lawyer, Dennis Morris, said he was not surprised by news of Ford’s appearances in Muskoka, but would not confirm that Ford is staying at GreeneStone.

“I don’t think you’re confined to four walls if you’re in rehab and an individual should be allowed to do personal deeds like banking or going to the dry cleaners,” he said. “I don’t think that’s abnormal.”